The present invention relates to the removal of pests and their ova. Specifically, the present invention relates to the cleansing of an individual of pests and their ova.
Pests present a persistent problem to humans and animals alike. A multitude of products and strategies have been developed to attempt to deal with the problems presented by pests. Unfortunately, most of these products have undesirable side effects. Many of the products make use of pesticides which are often toxic to some extent to humans and animals, those the products are designed to protect. Toxicity problems presented by products containing pesticides can pose risks to those using the products and prevent use by some who are especially sensitive to pesticides. These problems can limit the frequency with which the product can be used and thereby limit the effectiveness of the products in cleansing an individual of a pest infestation. These problems can frequently be exacerbated in children who comprise a significant portion of the population afflicted with pest infestations. Other products designed to repel pests often have unpleasant odors making them undesirable options for dealing with pest problems.
One example of the persistent problems caused by pests is the problem caused by the louse. Lice infestations are a persistent problem worldwide. For example, the annual incidents of lice infestations is estimated to be 10 million cases. Furthermore, many of those infected are school age children. Epidemics can occur in school age children, frequently when schools open in the fall. Because a large number of children are brought together in close proximity for prolonged periods, the chances that lice infestations can spread from child to child greatly increase.
Head lice feed on the blood of their hosts by attaching to the scalp and introducing an anticoagulant under the skin during feeding. This feeding frequently induces erythema and pruritus. The resulting scratching by the host may lead to secondary bacterial infections in addition to causing great discomfort.
Because of the wide spread nature of and the problems caused by lice infestations, many products have been developed to try and treat lice infestations. Most of these products are designed to kill and/or repel the lice. Many of these products contained pesticides which are by their nature toxic to some degree. For example, one common active ingredient in prior commercial products is N,N-diethyl-M-toluamide (DEET). However, DEET has recently been associated with causing various undesirable side effects, such as stinging, damage to mucous membranes, and possibly seizures. In 1989, the Centers for Disease Control issued a cautionary statement regarding the use of DEET. Many other prior art compounds proposed for use as lice treatments have also proven unsuitable for topical application to humans or other animals due to their toxic or noxious effect on the infested individual.
Many of the prior products designed to repel lice have had the disadvantage of having an unpleasant smell. Aside from the discomfort associated with the unpleasant smell, this disadvantage also decreases the likelihood that the treatment product will be used with the recommended frequency. Thus, the efficacy of such products is decreased.
Furthermore, many of the prior art products kill or repel only the pests and not their ova. If a treatment does not rid the individual of the pests"" ova, the individual is then faced with re-infestation when the ova hatch.
What is needed in the art is a product that is free of pesticides, but which is still capable of cleansing an individual of a lice infestation. What is needed is a pesticide-free composition and a method of use for that composition that cleanses an individual of pests and their ova. The present invention answers this need by providing a product and a method of use for cleansing an individual of a lice infestation while being substantially free from the disadvantages of the prior commercial products.
The present invention provides a composition, and a method of use thereof, for cleansing an individual of pests and their ova. By substantially aiding in the removal of undesired pests and their ova, such as lice and their nits, the composition of the present invention acts to cleanse an individual of a pest infestation. The composition of the present invention contains an acid, an alcohol, an aqueous detergent and water. In use, the pest-removing composition can be administered topically to humans, animals or any infested areas.
It is object of the present invention to provide a pesticide-free composition efficacious at removing pests and their ova from infested individuals.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a pest removing composition consisting essentially of an acid, an alcohol, an aqueous detergent and water.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of removing pests and their ova from infested individuals using a pesticide-free composition.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of using a pest removing composition consisting essentially of an acid, an alcohol, an aqueous detergent and water to cleanse individuals of pest infestations.
A xe2x80x9cpest,xe2x80x9d as used herein, is meant to include all parasites, such as arthropods, arachnids, triatomes, insects, bugs, flies, lice, fleas, mites, gnats, knits, chiggers, mosquitoes, and ticks, for example. The composition of the present invention is, therefore, intended to be used against all such pests which can be removed by the use of the present invention.
The present invention provides a pest removing composition consisting essentially of an acid, alcohol, an aqueous detergent and water. It should be understood that the composition of the present invention can include other ingredients so long as those ingredients do not interfere with the pest removing ability of the composition.
The invention contains an acid in a concentration of between about 0.01 and 10% w/w. More preferably, the invention contains between about 1 and 8% w/w, and most preferably contains about 5 to 6% w/w. The acid is an ionic or organic acid. Preferably, the acid is hydrochloric acid or acetic acid. More preferably, the acid is glacial acetic acid.
The composition of the present invention also includes an alcohol. Preferably, the alcohol is a short chain alcohol, such as ethanol, propanol or isopropanol. The amount of alcohol in the present invention can range from 1 to 40% w/w. Preferably, the concentration is between about 10 and 30% w/w, and more preferably between about 15 and 25% w/w. Most preferably, the concentration of the alcohol is about 20%. The alcohol is preferably isopropanol.
The composition of the present invention also includes an aqueous detergent. The concentration of the aqueous detergent within the present invention is preferably between about 7 and 21% w/w and more preferably between about 14 and 18% w/w. Preferably, the aqueous detergent is a surfactant, such as sodium laureth sulfate. Sodium laureth sulfate is available in commercial preparations such as Steol(copyright) CS-230, which is available from Stepan (North Field, Ill.). Steol(copyright) CS-230 is an aqueous preparation of sodium lauryl ether sulfate derived from fatty alcohols, ethoxylated to an average of two moles, and sulfated via a continuous SO3 process. Steol(copyright) CS-230 is about 25.5% sodium laureth sulfate. The concentration of Steol(copyright) CS-230 within the present invention is preferably between about 30 and 80% w/w and more preferably between about 55 and 70% w/w.
The composition of the present invention may be suitably preserved. Any suitable preservative may be used so long as it does not interfere with the pest removing ability of the composition. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention, methylparaben and propylparaben are included in the composition as preservatives.
The composition of the present invention can contain other ingredients so long as the beneficial, pest-removing nature of the invention is not adversely affected and so long as the pesticide-free nature of the invention is not altered. For example, embodiments of the present invention can contain methylparaben and propylparaben which are antimicrobial agents. Additionally, embodiments of the present invention can contain viscosity modifiers such as sodium chloride or antipruritic agents such as camphor.
The composition of the present invention can be used in different forms, such as a liquid body soap or a shampoo. In other embodiments, the present invention takes the form of a gel, an emulsion, a lotion, an aerosol spray, a mousse, or a cream. Preferably, the composition of the present invention is in the form of a shampoo.
The present invention also includes a method of using the pest removing composition. This method includes applying the composition to the infested area, such as the hair of an individual with a lice infestation. In the case of hair, the composition is applied to the hair. The composition is left on the hair for a period of time referred to as the residence time. The residence time can vary as needed to produce effective results. The residence time can be increased in order to increase the pest removing effectiveness. Alternatively, the residence time can be lowered, for example, in order to decrease any observed irritation to the patient. Preferably, the residence time is between about 1 and 30 minutes. More preferably, the residence time is between about 5 and 20 minutes, and most preferably, the residence time is approximately 10 minutes. At the end of the residence time, the composition is rinsed from the area of infestation. The hair is then combed with a suitable nit comb. These treatment steps of applying, rinsing and combing can be repeated one or more times to complete the removal of the pest infestation. The time period between uses of the pest removing composition can vary as needed to remove the pest infestation from the individual. Alternatively, the hair can be combed before the composition is rinsed from the area of infestation. The composition of the present invention is advantageous because it allows for frequent use, whereas the use of pesticide-containing compositions can be limited by their inherent toxicity. This ability to use the composition of the present invention increases its effectiveness in cleansing individuals of pest infestations.
Any suitable nit comb can be used in the described method of use of the composition of the present invention. A suitable nit comb may be made of various materials such as metal and plastic. Metal teeth are sturdier and stiffer than those composed of materials such as plastic. Nit combs with metal teeth therefore often last longer than nit combs without metal teeth. The number of teeth and the diameters of the teeth can also vary. The spacing between teeth can also vary; however, the teeth should be close enough to one another to remove nits. The distance between teeth should be 0.3 mm or less, the generally accepted width of nits attached to human hair. Preferably, a nit comb such as the ALB006 is used, which is available from Albyn Stonehaven Ltd. (Stonehaven, Scotland). This comb has 62 metal pins arranged side by side which act as the teeth of the comb. These pins extend approximately 12.5 mm from a plastic piece which acts as the handle of the nit comb. The pins on either end have a diameter of 0.9 mm and the 60 inner teeth have a diameter of 0.6 mm. The gap between the teeth is 0.3 mm.
Without being limited by these theories, it is believed that the composition of the present invention is surprisingly effective because of the synergistic effects of the composition""s ingredients. It is believed that the composition of the present invention affects pests, such as lice, sufficiently such that they may be washed and removed from the infested region. Furthermore, in the cases of some pests, such as lice, it is believed that the composition of the present invention aids in the removal of the pests"" ova by xe2x80x9clooseningxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cbreaking downxe2x80x9d the substances some pests use to attach their ova to their hosts.
The effectiveness of the present invention at cleansing an individual of a pest infestation is further surprising because the composition of the present invention is neither pediculicidal nor ovicidal in standard in vitro tests used by those skilled in the art to test pest treatments.